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ε€δΊζΈ
1
ONA
Finished Airing
Aug 14, 2021
Special Friday 13th episode of Yami Shibai 9.
6.5/10
Average Review Score
50%
Recommend It
2
Reviews Worldwide
So... this is pretty odd. First and foremost, this special is at a disadvantage compared to reviews of the series for each individual season. When you review a show like this season by season, it is more often than not just about the general vibe from popcorn-watching these shorts, just binging a full hour or more with this anthology. If one story doesn't appeal to you, then you can see if the next one in a couple minutes is more your speed. If all of them were just ok and none stood out to you, then you could just cozy up with the vibes andstart playing the next season. At least, that's how I've approached this show until now. This individual special was something of a chore to find, too. I did way too much deep-diving amongst the more"alternative" methods of streaming before realizing that it was wedged in the middle of last season on Crunchyroll, lol. Thanks, guys. OVA or specials like this don't warrant a different category? Anyway... The story was mid. Was ok. Not great, not awful. Somewhat reminiscent of the Ring. What I found most distracting was the video format, as its aspect ratio is, in my mind's eye, somewhat similar to that of a TikTok video. Or a webtoon. Just very vertical-oriented, in contrast to the typical format for the rest of the series. I don't know if there are any other concrete reasons behind this choice, though I admit I can kind of see from an artistic standpoint how the more elongated view parallels that of the well, but... the internet ruined such a format, in my opinion, to be anything but a manner or vertical recording, as that's how my mind seems determined to interpret it. The effect is somewhat lost and just sadly becomes more jarring, and not in the good way. Other than that though, well... another Yami Shibai episode.
I'm going to echo part of what another reviewer said (a few years ago at this point), but I think my feelings on this episode are more positive. This definitely was a royal pain to track down, and I had to use some... creative searching. They really don't make it easy. I also missed having an outro song like in usual Yami Shibai episodes, as they're usually pretty good. The episode itself was atypical in that it was shot vertically, which as it was set in a well did make things feel claustrophobic. This worked for it. I like when showstake chances with things like that. It's like what Danielewski did with the book House of Leaves. The writing on the pages themselves aren't always bound to the normal gridlines, and that becomes its own element. You only have a couple of minutes to tell an unnerving story in these things, and ideally it still has to be coherent. I think it achieved that. You start off thinking she's in one kind of danger, in the middle you think she's in a different one, and in the end you think she's in a third altogether. That's a lot to accomplish in less than four minutes. The voice acting was good, too. This probably gets a bonus point from me because it taps into one of my existential fears. No, not wells. True, I'm old enough to remember Baby Jessica getting rescued, but it's not wells.